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Local Residents Arrested On Child Abuse And Animal Cruelty Charges
July 23, 2009
Two Century residents were arrested Wednesday on child abuse and animal cruelty charges related to a young teen living in a mobile home in “squalor” and multiple animals living without food or water.
Steven Wayne Billiot, 57, and Faye Marie Kyle, 48, were arrested Wednesday on charges of confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise. Billiot was also charged with aggravated child abuse, and Kyle was charged with child neglect. Both remained in the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning on $7,500 bond each.
The arrests stemmed from an exclusive NorthEscambia.com story from July 10. The events began after authorities discovered a horse, a donkey, four goats, two pigs and dog were found living without food and water at a mobile home outside Century; and a young teen was found in their mobile home living in what deputies described as “squalor”.
The animals were discovered July 9 at mobile home at 2390 Highway 168, where rescuers say they had been living for days without water or food. The horse named Champagne was tied to a tree with an extension cord at the rear of the trash-covered property. Her ribs were clearly visible as she stood in an unfenced circle of dirt surrounded by tall grass. She had tried so hard to get to the grass that was just outside her reach that her bridle had worn a large sore on her head. Deputies said that when they provided water for Champagne the horse, she drank nearly a five gallon bucket of water.
Deputies applied child neglect warrant because of a young male teen living in the single wide mobile home on the property. The home had no apparent air conditioning and deputies described the living conditions inside the home as deplorable — full of cockroaches, dirty dishes, exposed electrical wiring, holes in the floor and filth. The Department of Children and Families was called to the scene to investigate the living conditions of the child.
The two small pigs were living in a crudely constructed pen made of wire and wood. The dirt in the pen was dry and dusty, according to deputy James Moretz, when he discovered it. There was no water in the pen for the pigs.
The four goats were in a wire pen, also with no water. The donkey was tied to a tree in the front yard of the mobile home, again, with no water. And the dog, also tied a tree in the front yard, appeared to be malnourished and had no water.
Panhandle Equine Rescue, a non-profit group authorized by the court system to investigate equine cruelty in Escambia County, seized the horse and donkey. After difficulty getting any other agency to remove the goats and pigs, PER seized them as well. All of the animals were transported to an area veterinarian for treatment. Click here for a story about how animal control and a livestock officer refused to respond to the scene.
The dog was seized as evidence by a crime scene investigator with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and transported to the Escambia County Animal Shelter in Pensacola.
This was not the first time an animal cruelty incident involving Billiot and Kyle had been investigated at the home. The couple voluntarily surrendered two starving horses, Raver and Racer, to PER in April 2008. There were no charges filed in the incident due to the voluntary surrender. (Raven and Racer are pictured left, click to enlarge.)
Deputies also called Escambia County Code Enforcement to the property to investigate conditions inside and outside of the mobile home.
Click here for more NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos from the rescue, the animals and the property. (Some readers may find some of the photographs in the photo gallery to be disturbing.)
Pictured top: This horse was found without food or water at a mobile home on Highway 168 Thursday afternoon. The horse was unable to reach the grass in the photo because of being tied to a tree. Pictured inset: Deputies James Moretz and Randy Murph remove goats from the property. Pictured below: The backyard of the mobile home were the animals were located. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
25 Responses to “Local Residents Arrested On Child Abuse And Animal Cruelty Charges”
This is freakin dispicble, who would want to abuse innocent animals like that. I hope Karma come back and bites them in the butt.
Lets do the same to those two people as they did to animals
Tie them up to a tree without water, food and no shelter for years.
To Lynn: you are very welcome, and i know that anything you can do would greatly help them, if you would like i can find out what they most need and post it on here, I will check back on here to see if you have seen and replied to this.
some of your finer citizens.
To “wow”, who wrote, in part: “Yes, what these folks did was wrong. BUT, people who feel bad act bad. You have no idea what type of depression or other mental health issues may be at the root of this problem. Take a moment and think before you judge.”
I “feel bad”… lots. I don’t mistreat poor defenseless animals. There is absolutely NO excuse for the way these to changelings treated these animals. None.
Quoting Janet : “There is no mental illness– looks like they ate and drank very well! I have no sympathy or compassion for adults such as these two, Don’t throw away the key! Bury it deep where it can never be found !”
So, I guess you are the personal psychiatrist for these two folks, right? That must be how you know that neither of them suffer from mental illness. It seems to me that those who are throwing stones should step out of their glass houses. Yes, what these folks did was wrong. BUT, people who feel bad act bad. You have no idea what type of depression or other mental health issues may be at the root of this problem. Take a moment and think before you judge.
Just my .02
mommy2beautifulgirls wrote: ” that is completely disgusting and hope these animals get better treatment.”
To which ‘animals” are you referring? I’m assuming you’re talking about the ones with four legs.
I wonder what makes the officers decide to call DCF I agree good job on doing so for the childs sake but I wonder this because I know for a fact they find meth labs with kids living in the home not going to school at times and they do not call DCF . My thoughts are everytime they are called out to a home with children and find evidence DCF should be called to the seen and then DCF would make them attend programs to overcome their problems and be better parents and if they donot comply then they dont deserve the gift of a child that GOD has givin them . But as with everything else in the world it seems to be hit or miss sometimes they call sometimes they dont in my personal oppinion we have several SORRY LAW ENFORCEMENT in alabama and florida ……….with that said I am not saying all of them are but SOME strut around with all this power and do nothing to protect the children . Again I have heard sherrif Morgan reads this site so as I have before I hope he will look within his department to make northwest florida better for all of the children… start looking with the good ole boys
that is a crying shame that people want animals and kids and they don’t take care of them when they get them. All they want to do is to try and look good so people will talk to them or to try and make friends with people cause they have kids. I have several different types of animals inside my house and outside and i have kids it does not take much to tend to them. But i know people with kids and animals that just have them so people would think oh that is so sweet and they could care less about any of them they keep there self looking nice makeup on hair done and probaly take a bath three times a day and don’t even make there kids take a bathe and they runnin around lookin like a throwed away rag doll couse there clothes don’t fit and they ain’t took a bathe cause there parents don’t make themand the parent’s walkin around town trying to be all that and they ain’t
Thank God for Panhandle Equine. They will do what others won’t to save innocent animals from the ignorant people that hurt them. I have no tolerance for scum that abuse animals. Let’s tie these inbreds to a tree with food just out of reach. Why did these idiots get more animals after having to hand over other animals they nearly starved to death a few years earlier. If you are too stupid to clean your house and care for your kids and too stupid to feed and water your animals, then what good are you on this earth…Totally worthless people…Put these idiots behind bars forever and let them starve to death.
This woman works with food services to the public?????? My goodness! This is such a sad situation, and I’m glad the boy and the animals are now in better places. Were these two individuals the parents of this boy? It’s beyond my imagination how people can live this way.
Kristina, thanks for the PER website. I’ll be looking into how I might be able to contribute something to help these fine people out.
my daughter has been to places this woman has lived before and they all end up looking as it was a dump site. Why DCF was not notified before this is beyond me. And to think that this woman works with food served to the public.
I know of a time when children was not removed from a home in Alabama even when the homes were nasty and drugs were found in the home. Thank God for the Flordia police that made the righe decision to call DCF.
MY HEART GOES OUT TO ESPECIALLY THIS TEENAGE CHILD WHO HAD TO LIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, I SURE HOPE HE HAS A CLEAN, COOL HOME TO LIVE IN NOW WITH GOOD FOOD TO EAT AND GOOD PEOPLE TO BE AROUND. I ALSO CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW SOME PEOPLE COULD DO THIS ANY OF GODS LIVING CREATURES, I HOPE ALL THESE ANIMALS ARE AT A GOOD PLACE NOW…. THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR PEOPLE THAT DO THIS…. I WILL HAVE THIS CHILD AND ALL THESE ANIMALS IN MY PRAYERS. GOD BLESS THE TEENAGE BOY AND THESE ANIMALS AND THANK GOD FOR WHOMEVER TURNED THESE INDIVIDUALS IN.
I’m going to venture a guess that these people are regular abusers of more things than just animals and kids.
A friend of mine had read this story and stated she must of ate all of the food.I had no idea it was this serious.Thats sad.They should have just let them go and or gave them to some one who would have loved and taken care of them.Everyone does not care of animals and they seem to be those type of people.Their is nothing wrong with that but why torture them if they were not going to take care of them.
Lynn, Here is the website for PER, I know them personally, as i have volunteered with them, they are very kind and a very small equine rescue I know for a fact before this whole situtation happened they were low on space, so them taking on the goats and pigs probably brought them to full compacity. I hope you can learn what you wished from this website.
http://www.panhandleequinerescue.org/
that is completely disgusting and hope these animals get better treatment
I feel horrible for the animals but my most concern is for the child. The child is a friend of my son’s and has been to our house to visit before. He is a very sweet, humble child. My heart goes out to this child. I pray for his well being.
Doesnt’ look like she’s missed many feedings. They should be kept just far enough away from food like the poor horse tied with the extension cord. Let them see what starvation and dehydration feels like. The punishment should fit the crime.
There is no mental illness– looks like they ate and drank very well! I have no sympathy or compassion for adults such as these two, Don’t throw away the key! Bury it deep where it can never be found !
What really stands out to me after reading this article is the fact that people are more concerned with animals than children. I do not believe in abusing animals, but it looks like our priorities are really messed up when animals are put ahead of our children.
Weed, I think they must have some mental disabilities. Hopefully if they get out and don’t have to serve any time, some agency will keep an eye on them to keep this from happening a third time. These people don’t appear to be able to care for themselves, let alone animals or a minor child. And I don’t know anyone connected with PER, but again I have to give them a big shout out for doing such a kind and wonderful job. I wonder if they have a website where I could find out more about them.
I personally have two dogs, a pot bell pig and a cat. It takes all of ten minutes to feed and water them. There’s no excuse for having pets you cannot take care of. And as for the child, they should have NO bond!! I have three children with me everyday. They get tended to before I do. NO excuse for what these people have done. NO tolerance for ignorance when they are hurting a child.
I wonder about the things some people do? are these two people ok, or do they have mental issues / illness that prevent them from making good decisions?